Brassiere



Feb. l, 1955 E. GROOCOCK ET AL 2,700,767

BRAssIERE Filed May 17 1951 United States Patent O 2,700,767 BRASSIRE Edith Groocock, Port Credit, Ontario, and Frances Marion Kerr, Long Branch, Ontario, Canada Application May 17, 1951, Serial No. 226,782

9 Claims. (Cl. 2-42) This invention relates to a brassire, and more particularly to a maternity brassire for use during pregnancy.

It is an object of this invention to devise a brassire for rendering less noticeable a large abdomen, and it is another object of this invention to devise a brassire which is adjustable as the size of the abdomen changes, as during pregnancy.

According to this invention, a large abdomen is made less noticeable by providing a brassire having means for supporting the breast pockets outwardly to produce an exaggerated prominence of the bust, and having an apron depending from the bust to conceal the inward curvature between bust and abdomen. The size of the upper portions of the body is thus exaggerated by the brassire, and as a result the whole body appears to be well and normally proportioned. Means are provided for letting out the apron as the size of the abdomen increases, thus maintaining a general instead of a localized rotundity during the time of pregnancy. A mammiform lining may be provided inside the breast pcokets for supporting the breasts.

In drawings which illustrate this invention, and in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. l is a front view of a brassire;

Fig. 2 is a back view of the brassire;

Fig. 3 is a side View of the brassire showing the wearers outline in phantom; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 in Fig. 1 and showing the wearers outline in phantom.

The preferred embodiment has a pair of breast pockets 1 from the sides of which a pair of back straps 2 are adapted to surround the body and be fastened at the back by a fastener 3. A pair of shoulder straps 4 extend back from the breast pockets and are secured to the back straps 2 near their ends. Two stays 5 in longitudinal pockets in the brassire extend down the shoulder straps 4 and over the breast pockets 1. Also stitched into the lining of each breast pocket is a cup-shaped coil of wire 6.

An apron 7 is secured along its upper edge to the breast pockets, across their largest part of the breast covering portion of the brassire, by means of stitching 8, and the apron retains a transverse stay 9 across the breast pockets. The apron depends from the breast covering portion and serves to conceal the lower curvature of the bust. It is stiened by stays 10 which are sewed into pockets running down the apron from the tips of the breast pockets, and another stay 11 runs down the apron from between the breast pockets. A pair of depending elastic straps 12 are secured to the apron and have pins 13 or other fastening means at their lower ends for securing the apron to a lower garment.

It will be seen that the stays 10 and 11 and the pins 13 hold the apron rigid and thus minimize the curvature between the bust 14 and abdomen 15 of the wearer. The wire coils 6 and stays 5 and 9 support the breast pockets outwardly and away from the body to produce an exaggerated prominence of the bust while providing a satisfactory support for the breasts. The total effect is to give the figure of a pregnant woman more normal proportions.

At each side of the apron is a flap 16 which is secured to the adjacent back strap 2 by buttons or dome fasteners 17. A plurality of fastening positions are provided so that the apron can be pulled tight against the abdomen and let out as the size of the abdomen increases.

ICC

A mammiform lining 18 is provided within the breast covering portion of the brassire. The lining is stitched at its edges to the breast covering portion, but ts against the breasts to support them.

It is thought that the construction and use of the invention will be apparent from the above description of the various parts and their purpose. It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the subjoined claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

l. In a brassire, a mammiform breast covering portion having an upper and lower edge, the breast covering portion curving generally outwardly from its upper edge to its midportion and then generally inwardly from its midportion to its lower edge, a mammiform lining within the breast covering portion, the lining being of smaller size than the breast covering portion and having edges secured to the breast covering portion, the midportion of the breast covering portion being spaced outwardly away form the lining, and an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge of the apron being secured to the outside of the breast covering portion across the midportion thereof, the apron depending from said midportion and being of suicient length between its upper and lower edges to conceal the inward curvature of the breast covering portion between its midportion and its lower edge. i

2. In a brassire, a mammiform breast covering portion, a mammiform lining of smaller size than the breast covering portion and secured within the breast covering portion, the mammiform lining being of the size of the breasts of the wearer for supporting the breasts of the wearer, at least part of the breast covering portion being spaced outwardly away from the lining whereby the breast covering portion has an outward prominence greater than that of the breasts of the wearer, and an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge being secured across the breast covering portion, the apron depending from the outside of the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion and being of suflicient length between its upper and lower edges that it conceals the mammiform curvature of the breast covering portion below the outwardly supported part.

3. In a brassire for a wearer having breasts of predetermined size, a mammiform breast covering portion of larger size than the breasts of the wearer, means for supporting at least part of the breast covering portion outwardly away from the breasts of the wearer in spaced relationship thereto to produce when in breast covering position an exaggerated apparent outward prominence of the breasts, and an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge of the apron being secured across the breast covering portion, the apron depending from the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion and being of suicient length between its upper and lower edges that it extends lower than the breast covering portion to conceal the lower end inward curvature of the wearers breasts.

4. In a brassire for a wearer having breasts of predetermined size, a mammiform breast covering portion of larger size than the breasts of the wearer, means for supporting at least part of the breast covering portion outwardly away from the breasts of the wearer in spaced relationship thereto to produce when in breast covering position an exaggerated apparent outward prominence of the wearers breasts, and an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge of the apron being secured across the breast covering portion, the apron depending from the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion and being of suflicient length between its upper and lower edges to extend in substantially a straight line from said outwardly supported part to the abdomen of the wearer.

5. In a brassire for a wearer having breasts of predetermined size, a mammiform breast covering portion of larger size than the breasts of the wearer, means for supporting at least part of the breast covering portion outwardly away from the breasts of the wearer in spaced relationship thereto to produce when in breast covering position an exaggerated apparent outward prominence of the wearers breasts, an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge of the apron being secured across the breast covering portion, the apron depending from the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion and being of sufficient length between its upper and lower edges to conceal the inward curvature between said outwardly supported part and the abdomen of the wearer, and stiffenlng means for the apron supported by the apron and extending between the upper and lower edges of the apron from adjacent said outwardly supported part to adjacent the lower edge of the apron.

6. In a brassire, a mammiform breast covering portion, a mammiform lining of smaller size than the breast covering portion and secured within the breast covering portion, at least part of the breast covering portion being spaced outwardly away from the lining, an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge being secured across the breast covering portion, the apron depending from the outside of the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion and being of suicient length between its upper and lower edges that it conceals the marnmiform curvature of the breast covering portion below the outwardly supported part, and stiffening means for the apron supported by the apron and extending between the upper and lower edges of the apron from adjacent said outwardly supported part to adjacent the lower edge of the apron.

7. In a brassire, a mammiform breast covering portion having a back strap, a mammiform lining of smaller size than the breast covering portion and secured within the breast covering portion, at least part of the breast covering portion being spaced outwardly away from the lining, and an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge of the apron being secured across the breast covering portion, the apron depending from the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion and being of sufficient length between its upper and lower edges to extend in substantially a straight line from said outwardly supported part to the abdomen of the wearer, side flaps on the apron, and means for fastening the flaps in predetermined positions to the back strap so that the apron can be let out when the size of the abdomen increases, as during pregnancy.

8. 1n a brassire, a mammiform breast covering portion having an upper and lower edge and a back strap, the breast covering portion curving generally outwardly from its upper edge to its midportion and then generally inwardly from its midportion to its lower edge, a mammiform lining within the breast covering portion, the lining being of smaller size than the breast covering portion and having edges secured to the breast covering portion, the midportion of the breast covering portion being spaced outwardly away from the lining, and an apron having an upper and a lower edge, the upper edge of the apron being secured to the outside of the breast covering portion across the midportion thereof, the apron depending from said midportion and being of suicient length between its upper and lower edges to conceal the inward curvature of the breast covering portion between its midportion and its lower edge, stifening means for the apron supported by the apron and extending downwardly thereof between its upper and lower edges, side flaps on the apron, means for fastening the flaps in predetermined positions to the back strap, and fastening means at the lower edge of the apron.

9. A brassire comprising a mammiform breast support of the size of the breasts of the wearer for supporting the breasts of the wearer, a mammiform breast covering portion of larger size than the breasts of the wearer, means for supporting and spacing at least part of the breast covering portion outwardly away from the breast support whereby the breast covering portion has an outward prominence greater than that of the breasts of the wearer, an apron having an upper and a lower edge, and means for holding the upper edge of the apron across the breast covering portion whereby the apron depends from the outside of the outwardly supported part of the breast covering portion, the apron being of suicient length between its upper and lower edges that it conceals the mammiform curvature of the breast covering portion below the outwardly supported part.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,094,158 Mattson Apr. 21, 1914 1,115,034 Stensland Oct. 27, 1914 1,240,510 Taylor et al Sept. 18, 1917 1,499,160 Fanning June 24, 1924 1,513,555 Kops Oct. 28, 1924 2,222,523 Williams Nov. 19, 1940 2,406,893 Nunn Sept. 3, 1946 2,485,313 Rabinowitz Oct. 18, 1949 2,491,151 Becker Dec. 13, 1949 

